IP 

IT 
o 

51 


11- 


CO 

CD 

r- 

Q 

■   1  > 


i^DDRESS 


ON   THE 


HISTORY  OF  JOURNALISM 


— IN — 


NORTH  CAROLINA, 


DELIVERED   BY 


W.   VV.   H  OLDEN 


AT    THE     NINTH     ANNIAI.     MEETING     OF     THE     PRESS     ASSOCIATION 
OF    NORTH    CAROLINA,    HELD    AT    WINSTON,    JUNE    21,   1881. 


SECOND  EDITION  -RE-PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST. 


^i^^_ 


RALEIGH: 

NEWS    AND    OBSERVER    BOOK    AND    JOB    PRINT. 


A.DD  RESS 


ON  THE 


HISTORY  OF  JOURNALISM 


-IN 


NORTH  CAROLINA, 


.  DELIVERED  BY 


W.'''W;'''h  OLDEN, 


AT    TIIK     NINTH     ANNUAL     MEETINfJ     OF     TlIK     PRESS     ASSOCIATION 
OF    NOirni    CAROLINA,     IIKIJ)    AT    WINSTON,    JUNE    21.    18S1. 


»■  »    »    ♦ 


-*V 


*  m      t     » 

•  J     i  t   i 

«        3      >  » 


SECOND  EDITION  -RE-PUBLISHED  BY  REQUEST. 


RALEIGH: 

NEWS    AND    OBSERVER    BOOK    AND    JOB    PRINT. 


/Il^ 

'k 


•  •  •  •  • 

•  •  •  •  •  • 

•  •••••■ 


ADDRESS. 


Mr.   President,  Ladies  and   Gentlemen,  and  Gentlemen  of  the  North 
Carolina  Press  Association  : 

I  learned  with  equal  surprise  and  gi-atification  that  I  had  been 
chosen  to  deliver  this  address;  surprise,  because  I  have  not  the 
honor  to  belong  to  your  body,  and  have  been  for  nearly  ten  years 
out  of  the  editorial  harness ;  gratification,  that  so  distinguished  an 
honor  should  have  been  conferred  on  me.  In  this  case  certainly 
"the  office  has  sought  the  man,  and  not  the  man  the  office." 

I  have  approached  the  duty  of  preparing  this  paper  with  hesi- 
tation and  anxiety,  since  the  task  of  writing  the  history  of  jour- 
nalism in  North  Carolina  is  one  which  no  man  can  adequately 
pel-form ;  and  since  also  I  have  to  follow  the  distinguished  editors, 
yourself  (Mr.  Battle,)  in  1878;  Mr.  Cameron,  in  1879,  and  Colonel 
R.  B.  Creecy,  in  1880,  who  were  the  selected  speakers  for  those 
occasions. 

We  learn  from  Martin's  "  History  of  North  Carolina"  that  print- 
ing was  introduced  into  this  State  in  1749,  by  James  Davis,  from 
Virginia,  who  set  up  a  press  in  Newbern.  His  paper  was  a  small 
weekly,  and  was  called  the  "North  Carolina  Gazette."  His  paper 
continued  six  years.  On  the  27th  of  May,  1768,  its  publication 
was  resumed,  and  continued  until  the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  second  press  was  by  Andrew  Stewart,  Printer  to  the  King, 
at  Wilmington,  in  1763,  called  the  "Cape  Fear  Gazette  and  Wil- 
mington Advertiser."  This  paper  ceased  in  1767.  Stewart's  paper 
was  succeeded  by  Adam  Boyd's  "Mercury,"  which  ceased  during 
the  Revolutionary  war. 

The  first  revisal  made  in  this  State  of  the  laws  was  printed  by 
James  Davis,  Newbern,  State  Printer,  in  1752.  From  the  color 
of  the  leather  with  which  it  was  bound  it  was  called  the  "yellow 
jacket." 

In  1776  newspapers  were  printed  at  Newbern,  Wilmington, 
Halifax,  Edenton  and  Hillsboro,     Had  copies  of  these  papers,  says 


(4) 

Wheeler,  been  pivserved  in  the  State  archives,  the  history  of  that 
period  would  have  been  much  better  known  than  it  is.  In  1812 
papers  were  printed  at  Raleigh,  Newbern,  Wilmington,  Edenton, 
Tarborough,  Murfreesborough,  Fayetteville  and  Warrenton,  but 
there  was  no  paper  west  of  Rileigh.  Governor  Swain,  writing  in 
the  "University  Magazine,"  February,  1861,  says:  "We  possess 
copies  in  a  pretty  good  state  of  preservation  of  all  the  Acts  of  the 
General  Assembly,  passed  and  printed  during  the  Revolution. 
The  pamphlet  containing  the  laws  of  October  session^  1779,  con- 
sists of  34  pages,  16  small  folio,  the  remainder  in  quarto.  The 
continued  scarcity  of  paper  in  1781  compelled  the  Public  Printer 
to  adopt  a  similar  arrangement.  Even  writing  paper  was  not 
always  at  the  command  of  men  in  high  official  station." 

He  adds  that  he  had  thought  that  the  earliest  paper  mill  estab- 
lished in  the  State  was  by  Gotlieb  Shober,  at  Salem,  in  1789,  but 
he  offei-s  proof  that  there  was  a  paper  mill  at  Ilillsboro  in  1778. 

There  were  four  printing  offices  in  operation  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  one  at  Newbern,  another  at  Halifax,  a  third  attached 
to  the  army  of  Cornwallis,  and  a  fourth  in  the  army  of  General 
Greene. 

I  have  in  my  possession  a  bound  file  of  the  "North  Carolina 
Chronicle  or  Fayetteville  Gazette,"  printed  in  1790.  It  is  a  very 
small  weekly,  six  by  seven  inches.  It  was  printed  by  George 
Roulstone,  for  John  Sibley  &  Co.,  at  Franklin's  Head,  in  Greene 
street,  Fayetteville,  at  "thre^  dollars  per  annum."  Like  all  the 
papers  of  that  period,  and  indeed  of  the  early  part  of  the  present 
century,  this  paper  contained  little  editorial,  but  is  made  up  of 
foreign  and  domestic  news,  advertisements,  Legislative  and  Con- 
gressional proceedings,  and  the  like. 

I  have  also  a  valuable  file  (kindly  loaned  me  by  John  Gatling, 
Esq.,  of  Raleigh,)  of  the  "State  Gazette  of  North  Carolina," 
printed  at  Edenton  by  Henry  Wills,  Joint  Printer  to  the  State 
with  A.  Hodge,  running  from  January  10,  1794,  to  October  19, 
1797.  This  is  also  quite  a  small  weekly.  The  "post  days"  at 
Edenton  were,  for  the  Northern  mail,  Tuesdays,  and  the  Southern 
mail  Wednesdays.  I  find  no  terms  of  subscription  in  this  paper. 
Among  othei  names  at  that  time  common  to  that  locality  I  find 
the  following :  Standin,  Skinner,  Brough,  Cowper,  Goodwin, 
Granbery,  Newby,  Hamilton,  Simons,  Blount,  Brownrigg,  Egan, 


(5) 

Littlcjohn,  Payne,  Williams,  Allen,  Ming,  Haughton,  Norfleet, 
Norcom.  I  find  in  this  file  an  advertisement  by  William  Polk, 
"Supervisor  of  the  Revenue  District  of  North  Carolina."  Also, 
"A  charge  delivered  to  the  grand  jury  of  the  District  of  North 
Carolina,  in  the  Circuit  Court  of  the  United  States,  held  for  the 
said  State  at  Wake  Court  House,  June  2d,  1794,  by  James  Iredell, 
one  of  the  Associate  Justices  of  the  Supreme  Court  of  the  United 
States."  Documents  signed  by  George  Washington,  Edmond 
Randolph,  Napoleon  Bounaparte,  Anthony  Wayne,  Henry  Knox, 
John  Jay  and  Lord  Greenville  appear  in  this  file. 

Probably  two  of  the  most  remarkable  and  useful  men  who  ever 
lived  in  this  State  were  Francis  Xavier  Martin,  a  native  of  France, 
and  Joseph  Gales,  Sen.,  a  native  of  England. 

Mr.  Martin  was  born  in  Franc^e  in  1764,  and  died  in  New  Or- 
leans in  1846.  He  settled  in  Newbern  in  1786,  and  for  a  while 
taught  the  French  language.  He  learned  printing,  established  a 
newspaper,  and  published  school  books,  almanacs  and  translations 
of  French  works.  In  1789  he  was  admitted  to  the  bar,  of  which 
he  soon  became  a  leading  member.  He  prepared  and  published 
treaties  on  the  duties  of  sheriffs  and  other  officers,  made  a  digest 
of  the  laws  of  the  State,  and  reported  the  decisions  of  the  Confer- 
ence Courts,  all  the  while  pursuing  his  avocation  as  a  printer. 

He  was  appointed  by  Mr.  Madison  a  Judge  of  the  Federal  Court 
for  Mississippi  Territory,  was  transferred  thence  to  the  Federal 
bench  in  New  Orleans,  and  afterwards  served  thirty-two  years  or* 
the  Supreme  Court  bench  of  Louisiana.  By  engrafting  certain 
princij)le8  of  the  common  law  upon  the  system  of  civil  law  then  in 
use  in  that  State,  and  by  his  rare  knowledge  of  the  law^  generally, 
he  acquired  the  title  of  Father  of  Jurisprudence  of  Louisiana. 
He  received  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws  from  Harvard  College 
and  Nashville  University.  He  was  w^orth  one  million  dollars  at 
his  death.  His  labors  in  North  Carolina  as  printer,  editor,  collator, 
reporter,  essayist,  and  the  variety  of  books  and  pamphlets  which 
he  published,  cannot  be  overestimated  in  their  importance  and 
value. 

Mr.  Martin  was  a  favorite  with  Mr.  Gaston  and  the  leading 
families  of  Newbern,  and  was  universally  esteemed.  It  was  re- 
lated  of  him  that  while  he  kept  bachelor's  hall  in  his  small  house 
and  p'inting  office  he  gave  a  party,  to  which  he  invited  all  his 


(6) 

fiiends.  And  they  came,  filling  his  house,  his  office,  his  dining 
room,  the 'upstairs,  the  front  yard,  the  back  yard,  until,  over- 
whelmed with  their  kindness,  he  went  to  Mr.  Gaston,  rubbed  his 
hands  together  as  was  his  wont,  and  exclaimed,  "  Mr.  Gaston,  vat 
sal  I  do?  Mr.  Gaston  dey  all  come!"  Mr.  Gaston  relieved  the 
little  big-hearted  man,  whom  all  the  people  loved,  by  requesting 
the  family  living  opposite  to  him  to  open  their  palatial  mansion  to 
his  guests.  The  request  was  graciously  complied  with,  and 
Xavier's  party  was  a  happy  one,  and  for  a  long  time  the  talk  of 
the"  town. 

Joseph  Gales,  Sen.,  was  originally  a  printer  and  a  bookseller  at 
Sheffield,  England,  where  he  founded  and  published  the  "  Sheffield 
Register."  He  was  born  in  1760,  and  died  in  Raleigh  August 
24th,  1841.  As  the  editor  of  the  "Register"  he  warmly  espoused 
the  cause  of  liberty.  The  principles  of  the  French  Revolution 
were  convulsing  Europe,  and  Mr.  Gales,  probably  with  more  zeal 
than^prudence,  was  so  outspoken  in  his  support  of  these  pnnci- 
ples  that  he  was  in  danger  of  arrest  and  imprisonment  by  the 
British  Government.  Whereupon,  in  1794,  he  left  England  with 
his  family  and  came  to  the  United  States  in  1795,  having  spent 
some  months  on  his  way  at  Hamburg,  Germany.  After  residing 
four  years  in  Philadelphia,  during  which  he  carried  on  the  printing 
business,  he  was  induced  by  Mr.  Macon  and  other  friends  to 
transfer  his  establishment  to  Raleigh,  where,  on  the  22nd  of 
%  October,  1799,  he  established  the  "Raleigh  Register." 

T  have  in  my  possession  the  first  volume  of  this  paper,  running 
two  years  from  the  first  number  inclusive.  I  also  have  a  copy  of 
the  "Sheffield  Ins,"  formerly  the  "Register,"  with  the  motto  from 
Oowper,  adopted  by  both  papers : 

"  Ours  are  the  plans  of  fair  delightful  peace, 
I^nwarped  by  party  rage,  to  live  like  brothers." 

Mr,  Gales  was  succeeded  in  Sheffield  by  James  Montgomery, 
the  poet,  who  had  been  reared  in  his  family,  and  this  copy  of  the 
"Iris"  bears  his  imprint. 

The  infiuence  of  the  "Raleigh  Register  in  the  hands  of  Joseph 
Gales,  and  imder  the  conduct  of  his  son,  Weston  R.  Gales,  and  of 
his  grandson,  Seaton  Gales,  was  potent  in  shaping  the  politics  and 
character  of  our  State.     The  "Register"  was  always  on  the  side 


(7) 

of  law,  order  and  good  morals.  Like  the  "Intelligencer,"  at 
Washington,  establishecf  by  his  eldest  son,  Joseph  Gales,  Jr.,  and 
conducted  for^so  many  years  by  Gales  &  Seaton,  the  latter  one  of 
the  sons-in-law  of  Joseph  Gales,  Sr.,  the  "Register"  did  not  teem 
with  editorials,  especially  while  in  the  hands  of  the  Senior  Gales. 
The  seniors  among  us  will  recollect  that  the  "Intelligencer"  spoke 
to  the  country  not  oftener  than  once  .a  week,  but  when  it  did 
speak,  in  support  of  or  in  defence  of  its  principles,  it  was  with 
such  fulness,  discrimination  and  power  that  the  whole  country  was 
moved  and  impressed. 

Edward  J:  Hale,  Sen.,  Esq.,  w^ho  was  reared  as  a  printer  in  the 
"Tiegister"  office,  and  was  a  member  many  years  of  Mr.  Gales' 
family,  in  a^recent  letter  to  me  says : 

"The  feeling  in  regard  to  editorials  in  that  day  was  well  ex- 
pressed by  that  eminent  lawyer,  Peter  Browne,  who  complimented 
me  for  good  sense,  half  a  score  of  years  later,  in  giving  the  news 
and  eschewing  editorials." 

I  am  sure  I  will  be  pardoned  for  making  further  extracts  from 
Mr.  Hales'  letter.     He  says: 

"Mr.  Gales  was  a  man  of  untiring  industry.  Besides  editing 
the  *•  Register"  he  kept  all  his  accounts,  made  out  bills,  gave  re- 
ceipts and  conducted  a  book  store.  He  was  also  a  director  in  a 
bank,  secretary  of  nearly  every  benevolent  society  in  the  city, 
member  of  one  of  the  State  boards,  etc.  His  accomplishment  as  a 
sliorthand  writer  was  of  great  advantage  to  him  in  all  these  occu- 
pations. *  *  *  Pie  was  never  idle.  When  not  occupied  by 
company,  of  which  there  was  a  great  deal  at  his  house,  attracted 
by  his  own  reputation  for  sound  sense,  and  by  the  hospitality  of 
his  brilliant  wife  and  accomplished  daughters,  his  evenings  were 
devottd  to  writing  and  reading.  He  was  a  man  of  few  words. 
His  wife,  on  the  contrary,  was  a  great  conversationalist.  *  *  * 
When  I  entered  the  "Register"  office  in  1812,  Mr.  Seaton,  who 
had  married  Mr.  Gales'  second  daughter,  was  associated  with  him 
as  editor.  Mr.  Gales,  Senior,  being  the  whole  or  part  owner  of 
the  "Intelligencer,"  at  Washington,  edited  by  Joseph  Gales,  Jr., 
transferred  to  Mr.  Seaton  a  half  interest  m  that  paper,  and  he  re- 
moved to  Washington  in  1812.  The  whole  world  knows  how 
eminent  the  "Intelligencer"  became  under  the  conduct  of  Gales 
and  Seaton." 


(8) 

The  editors  of  the  "Intelligencer"  enjoyed  the  personal  friend- 
ship and  were  the  social  peers  of  such  men  as  Madison,  Monroe, 
John  Quincy  Adams,  Webster,  Clay,  Jackson  and  Randolph. 
They  reported  alternately  the  debates  in  Congress,  for  which  they 
received  a  salary  of  $1,000  per  annum.  Mr.  Seaton  reported  a 
number  of  the  speeches  of  Mr.  Randolph,  and  Mr.  Gales  reported 
the  great  speech  of  Mr.  Webster,  in  reply  to  Mr.  Hayne  on 
Foote's  resolutions. 

Time  and  space  would  fail  me  should  I  attempt  to  sketch  at 
length  the  lives  of  Weston  R.  Gales  and  Seaton  Gales.  They 
were  graduates  of  our  University,  men  of  letters  and  learning, 
largely  gifted  with  genius,  orators  and  forcible  and  graceful  writers. 
The  dust  of  the  grandfather,  and  his  son  and  grandson  sleeps  in 
Raleigh  cemetery ;  and  the  remembrance  of  their  useful  and  spot- 
less public  lives,  and  of  their  numerous  private  virtues,  is  very 
dear  to  all  our  people. 

It  would  require  a  volume  to  do  justice  to  the  character  of 
Joseph  Gales,  Senior,  and  to  the  beneficent  influences  which  have 
resulted  from  his  life  and  labors.  These  influences  still  operate. 
His  example  lives  and  should  be  imitated  by  all  our  young  men, 
especially  by  the  younger  members  of  our  profession. 

The  "Hillsboro  Recorder"  was  founded  by  Dennis  Ileartt,  in 
1820,  and  was  conducted  by  him,  assisted  by  one  of  his  sons  for 
a  time,  until  1869,  when  he  disposed  of  it  to  Mr.  Evans,  of  the 
"Chronicle."  It  is  now  in  the  hands  of  a  worthy  successor,  John 
D.  Cameron,  Esq.,  associated  with  Mr.  Webb,  and  is  known  as 
the  Durham  Recorder.  Dennis  Heartt  was  born  in  Connecticut  in 
1783,  and  died  at  Hillsboro  13th  May,  1870. 

In  Mr.  Heartt's  day  the  double  pull  Ramage  press  was  used, 
with  buckskin  balls  tor  inking  the  form.  Printing  was  executed 
under  many  difficulties.  Types  were  costly  and  were  used  from 
ten  to  fourteen  years.  The  forms  were  sometimes  underlaid  with 
damp  paper  to  bring  out  the  impression.  Mr.  Heartt  engi*aved 
the  head  of  his  paper,  and  with  leaden  cuts  of  various  kinds  illus- 
trated his  articles  and  advertisements.  He  made  his  own  compos- 
ing sticks  of  walnut  wood,  lined  with  brass.  They  were  good 
sticks,  and  I  remember  to  this  day  the  sound  made  by  the  types 
a^  they  were  dropped  by  the  left  thumb  into  their  places.  The 
latest  news  fi-om  China  was  printed  once  in  three  months  ;    and 


(9)  '  t 

Noilhern  news,  brought  to  Hillsboro  by  the  tri-weekly  stage 
coach,  was  condensed  and  printed  once  a  week.  How  slowly,  in 
comparison  with  the  present,  did  the  world  move  at  that  day. 

Mr.  Heartt  was  a  good  scholar  and  wrote  well,  but  he  seldom 
presented  his  readers  with  a  column  of  editorial  in  any  issue.  He 
was  a  man  of  refined  taste,  and  his  selections  were,  therefore,  ex- 
cellent. His  integiity  in  all  respects  was  perfect.  No  considera- 
tion could  have  induced  him  to  abandon  or  compromise  his 
piinciples,  or  to  do  wrong  knowingly.  I  was  a  member  of  his 
family  as  one  of  his  apprentices  for  six  or  seven  years,  and  I  knew 
him  thoroughly.  There  were  many  features  in  his  character  and 
conduct  which  I  could  not  then  understand,  but  in  reviewing  the 
past  I  have  since  seen  him  in  his  true  light,  and  I  declare  in  this 
presence  that  the  best  man  in  all  respects  whom  I  have  ever  known 
was  my  old  master  and  teacher,  Dennis  Heartt. 

His  son  and  associate,  Edwin  A.  Heartt,  died  on  the  29th 
August,  1855,  in  the  36th  year  of  his  age.  He  was  an  able  editor 
and  a  good  man.  Unusual  honors  were  rendered  to  his  memory. 
The  county  court  of  Orange,  the  town  government,  all  the  churches 
in  the  town,  and  the  academies  and  benevelolent  institutions  put 
on  the  habiliments  of  mourning  on  account  of  the  loss  they  had 
sustained. 

"  Green  be  the  turf  above  thee, 
Friend  of  my  early  days; 
None  knew  thee  but  to  love  thee, 
Or  named  thee  but  to  praise." 

For  many  yeara  the  "Register,"  the  "Minerva"  and  the  "Star 
were  the  only  papers  at  the  seat  of  government.  When  quite  a 
youth  William  Boylan  removed  from  Pluchamine,  New  Jersey,  to 
liis  mother's  brother,  Abrara  Hodges,  first  editor  of  the  "Minerva,'* 
tlien  State  Printer  at  Halifax.  Abram  Hodges,  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  conducted  the  Whig  press  of  Samuel  Lowdon,  of 
New  York,  and  just  before  the  close  of  the  war  he  conducted 
Washington's  traveling  press  while  the  army  was  stationed  at 
Valley  Forge.  At  Mr.  Hodge's  death  he  left  his  press  and  other 
property  to  Mr.  Boylan,  who  removed  to  Fayetteville,  and  thence 
to  Raleigh  with  the  "Minerva."  There  were  heated  controver- 
sies in  those  days  between  these  three  Raleigh  papers,  but  Halifax, 
where  this  "Minerv  "  had  sprung  full  armed  from  the  brain  of 


(  10  ) 

Jove,  was  a  hotter  place  politically  than  Raleigh.  Politicians  in 
that  noted  town  met  and  fought  every  week  or  two.  There  was 
a  paper  called  the  "Halifax  Compiler."  Some  mischievous  wag 
altered  the  head  so  as  to  make  it  read  "Helfire  Compilax,"  and 
one  whole  issue  was  printed  with  this  sulphurous  title.  For  seve- 
ral weeks  thereafter  Halifax  was  a  very  hot  place. 

Mr.  Boylan  was  a  useful,  honest  and  distinguished  public  man. 
Among  other  places  which  he  filled  he  served  the  people  of  Wake 
county  in  the  House  of  Commons  from  1813  to  1816  inclusive. 
He  died  at  an  advanced  age  in  Raleigh,  universally  esteemed  and 
honored. 

I  learn  from  Governor  Swain,  in  the  "University  Magazine," 
that  the  "Star"  was  founded  November,  1808,  by  Calvin  Jones 
and  Thomas  Henderson.  Dr.  Jones  was  an  eminent  physician,  a 
man  of  science  and  knowledge,  and  an  able  writer.  During  the 
war  of  1812  he  was  Adjutant-General  of  the  State.  The  firm  of 
Jones  &  Henderson  was  succeeded  by  Bell  &  Lawrence,  and  that 
by  Lawrence  &  Lemay;  and  on  the  3d  September,  1835,  Mr. 
Lemay  assumed  sole  control  of  the  paper.  He  conducted  it  many 
years,  and  it  passed  at  last  into  the  hands  of  Mr.  W.  C.  Doub,  and 
after  a  time  ceased  to  exist.  Mr.  Lemay  was  educated  as  a  printer 
by  Thomas  Henderson.  Thomas  J.  Lemay  was  born  in  the  county 
of  Granville  in  1802,  and  died  in  Wake  county  September  8,  1863. 
In  1836-37  David  Outlaw,  of  Bertie,  afterwards  a  member  of 
Congress,  and  in  1840  Hugh  McQueen,  of  Chatham,  afterwards 
Attorney-General  of  the  State,  were  his  associates  in  conducting 
the  "Star."  Mr.  Lemay  was  himself  a  good  English  scholar  and 
was  very  successful  as  editor  and  State  Printer.  I  knew  him  well. 
He  was  the  friend  of  my  youth,  a  just  and  good  man. 

"The  actions  of  the  just 
Smell  sweet,  and  blossom  in  their  dust." 

The  "Free  Press,"  now  the  "Tarborough  Southerner,"  was  first 
issued  in  Halifax  by  George  Howard,  in  1824.  Mr.  Howard  was 
a  native  of  Baltimore.  In  1826  he  removed  to  Tarborough,  where 
he  resided  until  his  death,  which  occurred  in  1863.  He  was  an 
able  man,  of  unswerving  integrity,  a  Democrat  of  the  strongest 
Jackson  stamp.  He  brought  his  paper  with  him  to  Taiborough. 
In  1844  the  name  of  his  oldest  son,  George  Howard,  Jr.,  then  in 


(11) 

his  15th  year,  was  associated  with  that  of  his  father.  Meanwhile 
the  young  man  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill,  and  in  1852  again 
assume^  control  of  the  paper,  and  at  the  end  of  that  year  the  paper 
passed  again  into  the  hands  of  the  father.  On  the  23d  September, 
1875,  the  "Tarborough  Southerner"  passed  into  the  hands  of 
Dossey  Battle,  Esq.,  the  late  distinguished  presiding  officer  of  this 
body,  who  so  worthily  and  ably  fills  its  editorial  chair. 

It  is  related  that  Hon.  B.  F.  Moore  once  sought  the  publication 
of  a  Whig  article  in  the  "Free  Press."  Mr.  Howard  declined  to 
publish  it,  when  Mr.  Moore  exclaimed,  "What  do  you  call  your 
paper  .the  *Free  Press'  for  f  "I'll  change  it,"  replied  Mr.  Howard, 
and  the  next  issue  was  the  "Tarborough  Press." 

If  this  time-honored  journal  had  been  the  means  only  of  edu- 
cating Judge  Howard,  and  presenting  him  to  the  State  as  one  of 
Edgecombe's  most  useful  and  distinguished  sons,  it  would  deserve 
on  that  account  our  most  respectful  regard. 

Among  the  oldest  printing  establishments  in  the  State  is  that  of 
L.  V.  &  E.  T.  Blum.  The  founder  of  the  establishment,  John  C. 
Bhim,  was  born  in  Bethania,  old  Stokes,  July  17,  1784.  He  died 
November  11,  1854.  The  Salem  printing  office  was  founded 
November,  1827.  Several  newspapers  by  different  titles  have  pre- 
ceded the  "People's  Press,"  which  still  exists."  That  useful  pub- 
lication, the  "Farmer's  and  Planter'^  Almanac,"  was  commenced 
by  Mr.  Blum  in  1828,  and  has  been  continued  for  more  than  half 
a  century.  John  C.  Blum  was  of  a  friendly  and  cheerful  disposi- 
tion, and  was  highly  respected  and  esteemed  wherever  known. 
He  was  among  the  pioneer  editors  and  publishers  of  Western 
North  Carolina. 

Salem  and  Winston  have  been  especially  favored  with  good 
newspapers.  Indeed,  this  locaAy  has  been  for  a  long  time  the 
seat  of  learning  and  letters,  and  the  publications  which  have 
emanated  from  it  have  been,  and  are  now  worthy  of  the  thrifty 
and  growing  and  enlightened  population  which  compose  those  two 
towns.  All  of  us,  who  are  here  present  from  a  distance,  ardently 
wish  for  this  whole  community  the  most  abundant  prosperity  and 
happiness. 

Hon.  Philo  White,  LL  D.,  was  born  in  Whitestown,  New  York, 
June  22d,  1799.  After  spending  a  few  years  in  Utica,  he  re- 
moved to  North  Carolina,  and  in  1820  settled  in  Salisbury,  and 


(12) 


became  the  editor  of  the  "Western  Carolinian,"  In  1830  he  was 
appointed  Navy  Agent  for  the  Pacific  station.  Returning  home, 
on  the  14th  of  November,  1834,  he  established  the  "North  Caro- 
lina Standard"  in  Raleigh,  and  was  elected  State  Printer.  At 
that  time  the  State  Printer  received  a  salary  of  $900  per  year, 
which  covered  everything — paper,  folding,  stitching  and  binding. 
In  1836  he  disposed  of  the  "Standard"  to  Thomas  Loring,  and 
was  for  seven  years  purser  in  the  navy.  Afterwards  he  removed 
to  Wisconsin,  and  held  many  important  offices  in  that  Territory 
and  State.  He  was  one  of  the  founders  of  Racine  City  and  the 
author  of  the  system  of  plank  roads.  In  1856  Racine  College 
conferred  on  him  the  honorary  degree  of  Doctor  of  Laws.  In 
1849  he  was  Consul  at  Hamburg,  Germany,  and  in  1853  he  was 
United  States  Minister  to  the  Republic  of  Ecuador.  In  1859  he 
returned  to  his  native  place,  Whitestown,  where  he  still  lives,  in 
the  82d  year  of  his  age,  closing  happily  and  honorably  a  long  life 
devoted  to  his  country,  to  society,  and  to  hosts  of  friends.  In 
1822  he  married  Nancy  R.  Hampton,  of  Salisbury.  His  oldest 
child,  Maiy,  was  the  first  wife  of  Hon.  John  W.  Ellis,  after^^  ards 
Judge  and  Governor  of  the  State.  Several  years  ago  his  first  wife 
died,  and  as  a  proof  of  his  gallantry  and  his  love  of  domestic  life, 
he  has  recently  married  a  second  time,  and  his  remaining  years 
and  those  of  his  excellent  consort  are  devoted  to  works  of  benevo- 
lence and  charity  in  his  native  town. 

The  lives  of  such  men  as  Philo  White  and  Edward  J.  Hale  may 
justly  be  regarded  as  benefactions  to  mankind];  and  the  real  but 
modest  fame  which  encircles  them  mellows  and  glows  more  and 
more  as  they  approach  what  men  call  death. 

"Nor  love  thy  life,  nor  hate;  but  what  thou  11  vest 
Live  well ;  how  long  or  short  permit  to  heaven." 

The  labors  of  Mr.  White  for  ten  years  as  editor  of  the  "Western 
Carolinian"  were  arduous  and  incessant.  He  was  preceded  by 
Mr.  Samuel  Bingham.  Mr.  Bingham  and  himself  got  out  the  first 
publication  deserving  the  name  in  all  that  region  of  the  State 
between  Vn-ginia  and  South  Carolina,  stretching  westwardly  from 
Ilillsboro  to  the  Tennessee  line.  Mr.  White  pervaded  all  this 
region  in  person  or  by  his  paper,  diffusing  light  and  establishing 


(13) 

mail  routes  for  the  benefit  of  the  people.     Mr.  White  thus  con- 
chides  one  of  his  recent  letters  to  me: 

"Being  obliged  to  leave  Raleigh  in  1837,  to  attend  to  my 
father's  landed  interest  in  Wisconsin,  I  transferred  the  "Standard" 
to  Thomas  Loring,  of  whose  management  of  the  paper  no  one  can 
know  more  than  yourself.  It  was  among  the  painful  incidents  of 
our  lives  for  myself  and  family  to  be  severed  from  our  residence 
in  the  State  and  from  social  intercourse  with  many  friends ;  and  I 
may  here  be  allowed  to  reiterate  the  life-long  sentiment  of  ray 
heart,  that  I  shall  ever  cherish  a  deep  affection  for  the  good  Old 
North  State,  ray  political  foster  mother,  whose  very  soiy  rever- 
ence, as  within  it  the  dearest  objects  that  ever  sweetened  existence 
and  blessed  my  sojourn  here  on  earth,  lie  entombed." 

Speaking  of  Mr.  Hale,  Mr.  White  says:  "Edward  J.  Hale,  our 
mutual  and  most  excellent  friend,  was  coirtemporaneous  with  my- 
self as  a  journalist,  he  always  at  Fayetteville,  and  I  at  Salisbury 
and  Raleigh,  and  to  hini  I  raust  award  the  honor  of  being  the 
patriarch  of  journalism  in  North  Carolina,  for  he  was  probably 
longer  continuously  in  the  harness  as  printer,  editor  and  owner  of 
one  among  the  first-class  newspapers  in  the  State  than  any  other 
now  living." 

Mr.  White  also  refers  in  very  kind  terms  to  Mr.  Bingham,  who 
still  lives,  very  old  and  blind,  in  the  family  of  his  daughter,  Mrs. 
Judge  Furches,  of  Statesville.  And  of  our  brother  Bruner  he 
says: 

"The  'Carolina  Watchman'  still  exists  and  prospers,  some  half 
a  century  from  its  establishment,  under  the  control  of  that  excel- 
lent man  and  prudent  journalist,  J.  J.  Bruner." 

Thomas  Loring,  an  educated  printer,  a  native  of  Massachusetts, 
succeeded  Mr.  White  in  the  "Standard"  in  1837.  He  died  about 
the  close  of  the  war  in  Goldsboro.  He  was  a  raan  of  good  attain- 
ments, and  for  many  years  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  press. 

Edward  J.  Hale,  Sen.,  Esq.,  was  born  in  Randolph  county, 
October  26,  1802.  His  father  died  when  he  was  seven  years  of 
age,  and  his  mother  when  he  was  nine,  leaving  eight  children. 
He  was  adopted  into  the  accomplished  family  of  his  guardian, 
Colonel  Edward  Jones,  of  Rock  Rest,  Chatham  county.  He  was 
sent  to  school  one  year,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  February  28, 
1812,  he  was  placed  with  Mr.  Gales  in  the  office  of  the  "Ralrigh 


(14) 


Register,"  with  whom  he  remained  until  1824.  He  then  went  to 
Washington  City,  where  he  spent  one  year  in  the  "Intelligencer" 
office,  perfecting  himself  in  his  business.  At  the  end  of  this  time 
he  was  invited  by  John  D.  Eccles,  Esq.,  and  Colonel  John  McRae 
to  Fayetteville,  to  assume  editorial  control  of  the  "Observer." 
He  conducted  the  "Observer"  from  the  8th  of  January,  1825, 
until  March,  1865,  more  than  forty  years,  when  Shermajii's  forces 
burned  his  office  and  bookstore,  thus  depriving  him  of  his  means 
of  living.  This  vandalic  act  was  similar  to  the  outrage  of  Admiral 
Cockburn,  of  tho  British  forces,  who,  when  he  had  captured 
Washington  City  in  August,  1814,  sacked  the  office  of  the 
"National  Intelligencer."  Forty  years  of  active  industry  had 
blessed  Mr.  Hale  with  a  comfortable  fortune,  which  was  well 
nigh  obliterated  by  the  stroke  of  war.  In  August,  1866,  he  re- 
moved to  New  York  City  and  re-opened  his  business  as  publisher 
and  bookseller.  Though  in  his  79th  year,  he  is  still  active  and 
industrious.  A  true-hearted  North  Carolinian,  he  loves  his  State 
and  her  people,  many  of  whom  honor  and  cheer  him  by  their 
visits  when  they  are  in  his  adopted  city.  His  interest  in  his 
native  State  and  his  industry  are  shown  by  the  weekly  letters  he 
writes  for  several  of  oiir  newspapers.  As  soon  as  Mr.  Hale's  sons 
were  of  age,  and  had  graduated  at  Chapel  Hill,  he  associated 
them  with  him  in  his  business.  It  is  needless  to  say  that  their 
labors  have  been  valuable  alike  to  the  public  and  himself. 

And  here  it  may  not  be  improper  to  state  that  in  1854  Mr. 
Hale  and  myself  established  the  cash  system  in  subscriptions  to 
newspapers,  which  has  worked  so  well,  and  without  which  the 
press  of  the  State  could  not  prosper.  Every  subscriber  should 
read  his  own  paper,  and  when  he  has  paid  for  it  in  advance  it  is 
his. 

The  "Fayetteville  Observer"  wielded  for  forty  years  a  powerful 
influence  in  North  Carolina.  It  circulated  in  every  part  of  the 
State,  but  especially  in  the  Cape  Fear  country.  Mr.  Hale  is  not  a 
florid  writer.  His  style  is  plam  and  clear,  the  "  pure  English  un- 
deflled."  He  has  that  first  quality  of  genius,  the  power  of  conden- 
sation. Mr.  Hale  has  shown  his  good  sense  in  that  he  never  sought 
or  held  public  office. 

The  "  Carolina  Watchman"  was  founded  by  Hamilton  C.  Jones, 
Esq.,  in  1832.     Mr.  Jones  is  remembered  as  the  able  lawyer,  the 


(  15) 

genial  gentleman,  and  the  author  of  "C^ousin  Sally  Dillard."  The 
'' Watchman"  opposed  the  nullification  movement,  headed  by  Hon. 
Burton  Craige  in  the  "Western  Carolinian."  It  is  a  singular  fact, 
and  evinces  great  tenacity  on  his  part,  that  Mr.  Craige,  who  was 
an  honest  and  an  able  man,  lived  to  be  the  author  of  the  ordinance 
of  secession  in  our  State  convention  in  1861.  Mr.  Jones  sold  to 
Pendleton  t\;  Brnner  in  1839.  After  some  other  changes  Mr. 
Bruner  became  sole  owner  of  the  "Watchman,"  and  has  conducted 
it  "since  1850.     He  is  one  of  the  old  style,  model  editors. 

I  am  indebted  to  Mr.  Bruner  for  tlu^  following  information  in 
relation  to  the  Salisbury  "Western  Carolinian :" 

Editors  from  1820  to  1823,  Samuel  Bingham  and  Philo  White. 
From  1823  to  1830,  Philo  White.  From  1830  to  1831,  Burton 
Craige  and  H.  Jeff.  Jones.  From  1831  to  1833,  Burton  Craige. 
From  1833  to  1836,  John  Beard.  From  1836  to  1838,  Dr.  Ashbel 
Smith  and  Joseph  W.  Hampton.  From  1838  to  1844,  Dr.  Ben. 
J.  Austm  and  Charles  F.  Fisher.  The  paper  then  expired.  All 
these,  save  Dr.  Ashbel  Smith,  Philo  White  and  Samuel  Bingham, 
are  dead. 

Colonel  Charles  F.  Fisher,  who  was  the  son  of  Hon.  Charles 
Fisher,  of  Rowan,  had  been  a  member  of  the  State  Senate,  Presi- 
dent of  the  North  Carolina  Railroad,  and  Colonel  of  the  Sixth 
Regiment  North  Carolina  State  Troops.  He  was  slain  in  the  first 
battle  of  Manassas  while  gallantly  leading  his  regiment. 

Among  the  oldest  editors  in  the  State  is  C.  N.  B.  Evans,  Esq., 
of  the  Milton  "Chronicle."  Mr.  Evans  was  born  in  Norfolk 
county,  Virginia,  in  1812.  He  has  worked  as  a  journeyman  in 
Columbia,  S.  C,  in  Raleigh,  with  Philo  White,  in  Richmond, 
Virginia,  in  Hillsboro,  with  Dennis  Heartt,  and  elsewhere;  and 
was  once  on  the  eve  of  goinu  to  Buenos  Ayres,  to  work  on  a 
])aper  half  English  and  half  S[>anish,  but  was  deterred  by  a  civil 
war  which  8\iddenly  broke  forth  in  that  quarter.  His  first  con- 
nection with  the  press  as  editor  was  with  the  Greensboro  "Patriot." 
William  Swaim,  long  since  deceased,  a  brilliant  writer,  was  the 
founder  of  the  "Patriot."  In  1835,  when  this  paper  was  sold, 
Mr.  Evans  became  the  purchaser.  He  conducted  the  paper  for 
several  years,  and  sold  to  Lyndon  Swaim  and  M.  S.  Sherwood. 
The  first  paper  in  Milton  was  by  a  Mr.  Perkins,  in  1818.  He  was 
succeeded  by  Benjamin  J.  Cory ;  he  by  John  Campbell,  Jr..  who 


(16) 

died  in  Weldon  a  few  years  since,  Mr.  Kenyon  succeeded  Mr. 
Campbell,  and  the  former,  having  failed  in  1831,  Nathaniel  J. 
Palmer,  Esq.,  established  the  Milton  "Spectator."  Mr  Palmer 
died  prematurely,  from  an  accident  many  years  ago,  at  hi^  resi- 
dence. Cherry  Hill,  near  Milton.  He  was  a  native  of  Orange,  a 
brothel"  of  John  C.  Palmer,  Esq.,  of  Raleigh,  the  latter  of  whom 
is  a  brother-in-law  of  Philo  White. 

In  1841  Mr.  Evans  rented  the  old  "Spectator"  office  and  began 
the  publication  of  the  Milton  "Chronicle."  At  the  close  of  the 
war  the  "Chronicle"  stopped,  and  Mr.  Evans  nublished,  for  two 
years,  a  paper  in  Danville,  Va.  ^Next,  with  his  son.  Captain  T.  G. 
Evans,  he  published  the  Hillsboro  "Recorder"  for  two  years,  and 
then  sold  to  John  T>.  Cameron.  Next  and  last,  in  1873  he  re- 
vived the  "Chronicle,"  and  now,  in  his  69th  year,  he  is  still  con- 
ducting the  paper  he  established  forty  years  ago.  Mr.  Evans, 
though  by  no  manner  of  means  a  romantic  person,  has  certainly 
led  an  eventful  and  romantic  life.  He  is  a  capital  editor.  Like 
Xavier  Martin,  he  sets  up  much  of  his  editorial  in  his  composing 
stick,  without  stopping  to  write  it  out.  "Charley  Evans,"  as  he  is 
called  by  his  friends,  could  not  do  a  dishonest  thing  if  he  were  to 
try.  It  is  the  wish  of  the  whole  press  of  the  State,  whether  he 
belongs  to  this  association  or  not,  that  his  last  days  may  be  his 
best  days,  and  that  he  may  long  be  spared  to  his  family,  his 
readers  and  his  friends. 

I  regret  I  have  mislaid  an  interesting  letter  from  Lyndon  Swaim, 
containing  a  sketch  of  the  Greensboro  press.  William  Swaim 
died  in  the  prime  of  manhood.  His  nephew,  Lyndon  Swaim,  with 
M.  S.  Sherwood,  conducted  the  "Patriot"  many  years,  and  gave  it 
a  high  character  as  a  newspaper.  Some  years  since  Mr.  Swaim  re- 
tired from  the  press.  He  has  represented  Guilford  county  in  the 
Legislature.  Mr.  Sherwood  died  some  years  since.  He  also  rep- 
resented Guilford  county  in  the  Legislature. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  though  I  am  sure  I  weary  you,  I  must 
refer  to  another  living  editor,  who,  though  not  yet  an  old  man, 
has  made  his  mark  indelibly  in  the  annals  of  the  State.  William 
J.  Yates,  of  the  Charlotte  "  Democrat,"  is  a  native  of  Fayetteville, 
a  practical  printer,  having  learned  the  art  in  the  office  of  the 
"North  Carolinian,"  in  that  town.  That  paper  was  established  by 
H.L.Holmes,  and  continued  by  W.  H.  Bayneand  Robert  K.  Bryan, 


(17) 

the  latter  now  the  editor  of  the  Fayelteville  "Examiner,"  and  in 
1855  by  Mr.  Yates,  who  removed  to  Charlotte  in  1856,  and  pur- 
chased the  "Democrat."  Mr.  Yates  has  never  been  a  candidate 
for  office  before  the  people,  but  in  1859-60  he  was  chosen  a  Coun- 
cillor of  State  by  the  Legislature,  arfd  under  Governor  Clark's 
administration  was  a  member  of  the  Literary  Board.  Mr.  Yates 
has  never  been  neutral  on  any  public  question,  but  has  uni- 
formly expressed  himself,  without  regard  to  the  smiles  or  frowns 
of  the  public.  Honest,  candid,  inflexible  in  his  devotion  to  his 
principles,  industrious,  enterprising  and  public-spirited,  we  all  re- 
joice in  his  "prosperity  and  wish  for  him  many  more  years  of  use- 
fulness. 

I  have  thus  imperfectly  sketched  a  number  of  the  luminaries  of 
the  press.     Some  of  them  have  gone  out,  and  others  are  still  shin- 
ing. '  I  might  mention  a  great  many  others  within  my  own  recol- 
lection during  the  last  iifty  years  who  were  tra  ned  writers  for  the 
ju-ess,  and  who  have  left  shining  pages  of  wisdom  and  wit  in  the 
State's  history.     Neither  have  I  space  to  dwell  on  that  very  largo 
number  of  public  men  whose  intellectual  training  may  be  traced 
to  the  habit  early  formed  of  writing  for  the  press  as  correspond- 
ents or  amateur  editors.     The  old  iown  of  Oxford  has  witnessed 
the  training  of  such  men  as  Goodloe,  Wiley  and  Kingsbury,  the 
latter  now  the  scholarly  editor  of  the  Wilmington  "Star."     Mr. 
Goodloe  is  one  of  the  ablest  writers  in  this  country,  and  Calvin  H. 
Wiley  needs  no  eulogy  from  any  one.      I   say  plain  Calvin  H. 
Wiley,  for  no  title  could  add  weight  to  his  namp.     He  has  pro- 
bably done  more  for  the  cause  of  letters  in  this  State,  and  more 
by  tongue  and  pen  for  the  education  of  the  people  of  all  ages  than 
any  other  living  man.     And  this  is  true  in  a  greater  or  less  degree 
of  all  the  cities,  and  towns,  and  villages  in  the  State.    Kind  words 
uttered  over  the  dead  can  do  them  no  good.     If  they  deserve 
these  words,  let  them  be  said  while  they  are  living,  that  they  may 
be  thereby  cheered  and  strengthened  in  their  endeavors  to  benefit 
mankind.     And  John  H.  Wheeler,  our  venerable  historian,  who 
began  to  live  almost  with  this  century,  whom  I  had  the  pleasure 
of  seeing  recently  at  his  house  in  Washington.     He  has  nearly 
lost  his  eyesight  from  intense  labor  in  finishiiig  the  second  edition 
of  his  history.    His  eye  is  dim  and  his  frame  totters,  but  his  heart 
is  still  young,  and  its  last  pulsations,  so  far  as  things  mortal  are 


(18) 

concerned,  will  be  for  his  beloved  native  North  Carolina.  Like 
Governor  Swain,  he  has  been  writing  nearly  all  his  life  for  the 
press. 

Governor  Swain  once  told  me  that  his  father  being  postmaster 
at  Asheville,  he  imbibed  his  first  love  of  reading  when  a  boy  from 
the  "National  Intelligencer."  During  his  most  valuable  life  lie 
wrote  much  for  the  press,  especially  for  the  "University  MagM- 
zine."  The  same  is  true  of  Governor  Vance,  also  a  native  of 
Buncombe  county.  When  a  youth  of  18  he  wrote  for  the  Ashe- 
ville "Messenger,"  and  in  1854  for  the  Asheville  "Spectator," 
and  in  1855  he  became  a  regular  editor,  with  John  D.  Hyman,  of 
the  latter  paper.  While  at  Chapel  Hill,  in  1852,  he  was  one  of 
the  first  editors  of  the  "University  Magazine."  Governor  Swain 
entered  the  House  of  Commons  from  Buncombe  in  1824,  in  his 
23d  year,  and  Governor  Vance  entered  the  House  fi*om  the  same 
county  in  1854,  in  the  24th  yeai*  of  his  age.  Governor  Swain  was 
chosen  Governor  in  1832,  in  his  3l8t  year,  and  Governor  Vance 
In  1862,  in  his  32d  year.  Both  these  men  were  poor  in  early  life, 
but  they  were  largely  gifted  with  mind.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
much  of  their  great  success  in  life  may  be  traced  to  their  habit, 
early  formed,  of  writing  for  the  press. 

"  Hard  are  life's  early  steps ;  and  but  that  youth 
Is  buoyant,  confident,  and  strong  in  hope. 
Men  would  behold  its  threshold  ami  despair." 

I  would  earnestly  urge  upon  the  youth  of  the  State,  and  especially 
on  printers  who  aspire  to  be  editors,  the  importance  of  learning 
and  practicing  the  art  of  composition.  A  man  who  writes  well 
thinks  clearly,  and  may  speak  well  also,  if  he  will  train  himself 
to  it. 

An  editorial  convention  was  held  in  Raleigh,  November,  1837. 
The  papers  represented  were  the  "Register,"  "Star,"  "Standard," 
Raleigh ;  "  Recorder,"  Hillsborough ;  "  Western  Carolinian  "  and 
"  Carolina  Watchman,"  Salisbury  ;  "  Citizen,"  Asheborough  ; 
"Spectator,"  Newbern ;  "Observer,"  Fayetteville ;  "Telescope," 
Green  sborough ;  "Free  Press,"  Tarborough ;  "Journal,"  Char- 
lotte ;  "  Spectator,"  Milton.  These  men  were  so  modest  that  their 
names  were  not  even  recorded  in  the  proceedings.  On  motion  of 
Mr.  Loring,  Dennis  Heartt  presided,  and  Weston  R.  Gales  was 


(19) 

secretary.  Mr.  Gales,  from  the  committee  appointed  for  that  pur- 
pose, reported  some  excellent  resolutions,  which  were  adopted, 
with  rules  for  advertising  and  job  work.  But  these  rules  were 
not  closely  adhered  to.  And  here  let  me  observe  that  it  is  idle  to 
adopt  rules  of  this  kind  if  they  are  not  carried  out  in  good  faith 
by  all.  All  the  other  professions  have  their  rules,  to  which  they 
strictly  adhere.  If  it  is  worth  five  dollars  to  make  a  motion  in 
court,  a  subscription  to  a  good  newspaper  should  be  more  than 
two  dollars  per  annum.  If  a  visit  by  a  physician  is  worth  two 
dollars,  an  advertisement  of  fourteen  lines  should  be  worth  the 
same  for  one  insertion.  Gentlemen,  it  would  not  become  me  to 
thrust  ad'^e  upon  you,  but  let  me  urge  you  to  look  to  your  in- 
terests as^ther  professions  do ;  to  do  good  work,  charge  full 
prices,  and  not  underbid  each  other  for  public  patronage. 

Wheeler,  in  his  history  in  1851,  gives  a  list  of  44  papers  then 
jmblished  in  the  State;  and  Mr.  Bennett,  in  his  chronology  in 
1858,  added  30  to  Colonel  Wheeler's  list.  Many  of  these  have 
ceased  to  exist;  some  of  them  are  continued  under  different  names, 
and  not  less,  I  presume,  than  two-thirds  of  the  editors  living  in 
1851  have  passed  away.  I  do  not  know  accurately  the  number 
qI  newspapers  and  periodicals  now  published  in  the  State,  but  I 
think  I  would  not  err  materially  if  I  should  assume  the  number  to 
be  one  hundred. 

I  am  painfully  sensible,  Mr.  President,  of  the  omissions  and 
impei-fections  of  this  address.  I  have  referred  only  to  the  oldest 
presses  and  to  the  oldest  editors  and  ex-editors,  with  incidental 
allusions  to  modern  editors  and  writers  for  the  press.  I  think  I 
have  not  commended  unduly  those  I  have  mentioned.  I  regret  I 
could  not  sketch  the  lives  and  services  of  all  these  laborers  in  the 
fields  of  mind,  whether  present  or  absent  on  this  occasion.  I 
would  respectfully  suggest  that  the  Association  appoint  some  one 
to  continue  the  history  of  the  press  at  each  communication  of 
your  body;  and  when,  in  the  judgment  of  the  Association  that 
history  shall  have  been  fully  written,  that  a  committee  be  ap- 
pointed to  condense  it  into  a  book,  to  be  printed  for  perpetual 
preservation. 

Among  the  dead,  not  already  mentioned,  trained  writers  tor 
the  press,  but  not  editors,  I  recall  the  following:  Dr.  Joseph 
Caldwell,  Archibald  D.   Murphy,    George   E.   Badger,  William 


(20) 

Gast5n,  Francis  L.  Hawks,  William  B.  Shepard,  B.  F.  Moore, 
William  A.  Graham,  William  II.  Haywood,  Jr.,  Bedford  Brown, 
Charles  Fisher,  Bartlett  Yancy,  Louis  D.  Henry,  Robert  Strange, 
John  Orfty  Bynum,  Warren  Winslovv,  Edward  Jenner  Warren, 
Henry  W.  Miller,  Robert  B.  Gilliam,  Edward  Conigland,  Romulus 
M.  Saunders,  Charles  F.  Fislier,  Asa  Biggs,  James  B.  Shepard, 
Perrin  Busbee,  H.  W.  Husted,  William  Hooper,  Abram  W,  Yen- 
able,  John  H.  Haughton,  Charles  Manly,  Henry  T.  Clark,  Henry 
I.  Toole,  John  A.  Gilmer,  John  M.  Morehead,  John  H.  Bryan, 
William  H.  Washington.  Many  others  might  be  added.  Some 
of  these  were  editors  for  a  short  time,  but  editing  was  not  their 
profession.  Dr.  Caldwell  wrote  much  in  favor  of  inlernal  im- 
provements and  public  schools,  and  Archibald  D.  Murphy  was 
one  of  the  finest  scholars  and  writers  of  his  day.  Some  of  his 
ablest  papers  in  the  way  of  reports  may  be  found  in  the  journals 
of  the  State  Senate  from  1812  to  1818  inclusive. 

It  would  be  impracticable,  as  I  have  observed,  to  sketch  modern 
presses  and  editors.  This  must  be  left  *  to  the  future.  But  I 
cannot  forbear  to  refer  to  Henry  S.  Ellenwood,  a  native  of 
Boston,  who  lived  and  taught  school  for  many  years  in  Hills- 
borough, the  author  of  the  beautiful  verses,  "  The  Marriage  of  tli£ 
Sun  and  Moon."  He  established  a  paper  in  Wilmington,  and  died 
soon  after  of  apoplexy;  and  George  W.  Sitefi,  the  accomplished 
writer  whom  the  people  of  Salem  and  Winston  so  well  remember, 
who  sat  when  a  boy  at  the  feet  of  Wordsworth  and  Poe,  and 
listened  to  their  harmonious  numbers.  And  John  W.  Cameron, 
of  the  Wadesboro  "Argus,"  whose  career  was  so  biilliant,  and  all 
too  brief  for  the  State  he  loved  so  well.  And  the  two  Fultons, 
Price,  Burr  and  Engelhard,  of  Wilmington  ;  Mayhew  and  Pasteur, 
Newbern ;  Machen,  Mc Williams,  Houston  and  Dimmock,  of 
Washington;  Raboteau,  Busbee,  Lawrence,  Wilson,  Merexlith  and 
Pell,  of  Raleigh;  Hybart,  Cameron,  Bayne  and  Sherwood,  of 
Fayetteville  ;  Thomas  J.  Holton,  of  the  Charlotte  "  Journal,"  who 
was  reared  by  Philo  White  in  the  "Carolinian"  office,  Salisbury; 
Atkin  and  Edney,  of  Asheville;  Webb,  of  Halifax;  Yancy  and 
Paschall,  of  Oxford ;  Robert  N.  Yerrell,  of  Warreiiton ;  of  some  ^ 
in  the  western  part  of  the  State,  and  indeed  in  every  part  of  the 
State,  including  the  great  Albemarle  region,  whose  names  I  can- 
not now  recall,  but  who  have  left  behind  them  on  record  marked 


(21) 

and  honorable  proofs  of  their  attainments  and  labors  as  members 
of  the  profession. 

And  there  are  many  journeymen  and  foremen,  modest,  intelli- 
gent, unobtrusive  men,  who  deserve  notice  and  commendation. 
If  the  editor  is  the  big  wheel  of  the  mill,  they  are  the  driving 
wheels,  without  which  the  mill  would  stop. 

Among  these  I  may  notice  Thomas  Covington,  for  so  many 
years  the  foreman  of  the  '-Register"  office,  who  trained  a  number 
of  young  men  for  usefulness  as  good  printers,  including  such  men 
as  Mr.  Hale  and  Mr.  David  C.  Dudley,  of  Raleigh,  who  is  one  of 
the  oldest  printers  in  the  State,  and  much  beloved  and  honored  by 
the  printers  of  Raleigh.  John  T.  West,  Esq.,  of  Raleigh,  deceased 
for  some  years,  formerly  a  foreman  and  publisher  in  New  Tor]^, 
gave  Mr.  Greely  the  first  job  that  brought  him  into  notice  as  a 
good  printer.  Mr.  Greely  remembered  him  affectionately,  and 
when  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency  wrote  him  that  if  he  should 
be  elected  he,  Mr.  West,  must  hang  up  his  hat  m  the  White  House 
and  stay  with  him  a  long  time. 

The  press  has  done  more  than  all  things  else  to  diffuse  intelli- 
gence among  the  people,  and  to  acquaint  the  world  with  the 
character  ol  our  State  and  her  resources.  In  1848  it  forced  the  pas- 
sage of  the  charter  of  the  Central  Railroad,  by  which  the  East  has 
been  gradually  but  surely  tied  to  the  West  by  iron  bands,  and  by 
which,  most  intimately  and  directly,  this  active  and  prosperous 
place  of  trade  now  has  a  railroad;  for,  if  there  had  been  no  i ail- 
road  to  Greensboro  there  would  have  been  no  iron  horse  to-day 
in  Salem  and  Winston.  The  press  has  fostered  the  University 
and  the  Colleges  and  the  Public  Schools.  It  has  always  ranged 
itself  on  the  side  of  learning,  liberty,  social  order  and  sound  morals. 
It  has  uniformly  rejected  the  isms  which  infest  Europe  and  the 
Eastern  and  Western  States  of  this  country.  Newspapers  devoted 
to  socialism,  or  to  social  equality,  nihilism,  communism,  or  to 
infidelity  in  any  of  its  shapes  or  shades,  could  not  live  in  the  at 
mosphere  of  North  Carolina. 

It  is  still  a  reproach  to  our  people  that  ministers  of  the  gospel, 
editors  and  teachers  of  our  children  and  youth,  are  less  cherished 
and  supported  than  the  other  professions.  Editors  should  be  more 
united  as  a  class,  and  should  respect  themselves  and  each  other 
more  than  they  have  heretofore  done.     Let  them  bear  in  mind 


(  22  ) 

that  thoy  are  the  peers  personally  and  socially  of  the  politicians 
and  statesmen  whom  they  so  largely  make.  The  "black  art"  of 
the  printer  and  editor  fills  the  world  with  light.  The  press  is 
emphatically  the  power  in  this  country.  There  is  more  potency 
in  tlie  click  of  the  type  in  the  composing  stick  than  in  the  click  of 
the  musket.  The  roar  of  the  steam  printing  press  is  more  powerful 
in  the  councils  of  the  world  than  the  roar  of  artillery.  Editors  can- 
not create,  they  only  collect  and  utter  public  opinion.  Poets  [nit 
into  hamionious  phrase  the  common  things  which  all  see  and  feel, 
but  cannot  express,  and  we  are  pleased  or  charmed  with  the  poem 
because  it  voices  our  sentiments  and  our  thoughts.  It  is  so  with 
the  press.  It  leads  by  not  seeming  to  lead.  It  condenses  and 
pj;ppagates  public  thought.  Its  white-tipped  sheets  sail  every- 
where, the  messengers  of  myriad  minds.  They  are  seen  in  all 
public  places,  and  they  flutter  down  by  every  fireside.  How  much 
do  they  contain  to  solace  the  aged  and  infirm,  to  cheer  and  to 
animate  and  rouse  the  active  and  enterprising,  and  to  mould  and 
shape  the  minds  and  morals  of  the  young!  This  great  power, 
gentlemen,  is  in  your  hands.  Use  it  well.  Lift  it  up  on  high 
before  all  the  people,  that  its  light  may  stream  out  in  all  direc- 
tions. Let  nothing  unclean  or  vicious  pollute  your  columns.  Let 
the  father,  by  his  fireside,  read  your  journals  through  and  through 
to  his  wife  and  his  children  without  bringing  the  slightest  blush 
to  the  cheek  because  of  one  word  even  that  journal  may  contain. 
And  give  and  take  good  humoredly  in  politics.  A  disputant  who 
loses  his  temper  admits  his  own  weakness  or  that  of  his  cause. 
And  let  us  all  be  as  teachable  as  may  be.  ^  Wisdom  will  not  die 
with  us.  Wise  men  are  always  learning,  an>l  it  is  to  the  teachable 
that  wisdom  opens  her  treasures 

But  above  all,  gentlemen,  let  us  be  true  to  the  welfare  and 
glory  of  North  Carolina.  Let  our  chief  attention  be  given  to  our 
h  ome  interests.  The  Republic  is  now  so  large  that  no  one  name 
can  fill  it,  as  in  the  days  of  Jackson  and  Clay.  It  stretches  through 
twenty-five  degrees  of  latitude,  and  stands  with  its  vast  breadth 
from  sea  to  sea.  Men,  and  even  States  are  dwarfed  in  its  pres- 
e  nee.  This  remits  us  in  a  certain  sense  to  our  own  State,  and  each 
man  to  his  own  work  "over  against  his  own  house."  Let  us 
augment  the  wealth  and  gloiy  of  the  State  by  making  the  coun- 
ties and  cities  and  towns  what  they  should  be,  by  a  wise  and  liberal 


(  ^3  ) 

development  and  cultivation  of  their  resources;  and  thus  let  us 
contribute  our  full  share  to  the  renown  and  the  power  of  the  whole 
country  by  making  North  Carolina  what  she  should  be  as  one  of 
the  Old  Thirteen.  As  Massachusetts  men  are  true  to  Massachu- 
setts, let  us  be  true  to  North  Carolina.  We  would  not  boast  of 
anything,  but  we  are  willing  to  be  looked  at  and  judged  by  the 
country  and  by  our  sister  States.  Our  men  are  brave  and  true, 
and  our  women  as  accomplished  and  beautiful  as  any  in  the  world. 
We  have  not  lost  in  our  moral  status  or  Christian  manhood  be- 
cause, like  Rhode  Island  and  New  York,  we  once  owned  slaves. 

In  all  these  efforts  to  cherish  and  develop  our  home  interests 
the  press  of  the  State  must  lead.  We  live  in  an  age  of  great  and 
startling  events.  The  apparently  impending  war  in  Europe,  A^a 
and  Africa  will  pour  floods  of  immigrants  into  this  country.  They 
are  coming  now  at  the  rate  of  one  hundred  thousand  per  month. 
These  immigrations  may  become  irruptions.  They  will  scatter 
themselves  over  the  continent.  Many  of  them  will,  after  a  while, 
settle  in  this  State.  They  will  bring  with  them  their  habits,  their 
j)rejudices,  their  isms  of  all  kinds,  their  knowledge  and  their 
ignorance,  their  accomplishments,  their  muscle  for  labor  and  their 
money.  Through  the  influence  of  the  press  we  must  mould  and 
govern  them,  not  they  us.  Let  them  come  from  all  quarters,  but 
let  us,  as  far  as  we  can,  preserve  the  character  of  our  State  for 
integrity,  for  devotion  to  law,  liberty  and  order,  and  for  a  real, 
heartfelt  regard  for  the  pure  doctrines  of  our  common  Christianity. 

And  now,  Mr.  President,  having  detained  you  so  long,  I  will 
conclude  with  a  sentiment  which  has  at  all  timeq  and  under  all 
circumstances  animated  my  heart ;  a  sentiment  delivered  by  Willie 
P.  Man  gum  fifty  years  ago,  at  a  Fourth  of  July  festival  in 
Raleigh:  " North  Carolina,  great  in  physical,  in  intellectual  and 
in  moral  resources;  the  land  of  our  sires,  and  the  home  of  our 
affections." 


t 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

Return  to  desk  from  which  borrowed. 
This  book  is  DUE  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


l5Dec'54feH 


.# 


JANS    1955  lIU 
28^ug'56PW 

REC'D  LD 

AUG  1 4  igs6 


LD  21-100m-9,'48(B399sl6)476 


M214832     9/f- 
OdL 


THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 


I 


